Thursday 26 April 2012

Community minded

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/toddler-home-alone-after-mother-dies/story-e6freuzi-1226327501091 This article chilled me to the bone and brought tears to my eyes and has inspired today's post. 5 days.............. FIVE days this toddler was left alone in her house with her mother's dead body. Thank god she was found alive at all. I know people shy away from this kind of story because it makes them feel extremely uncomfortable (and rightfully so) but it is for this exact reason I think we need to look up and pay attention.

Why is this happening? Why is it when we have come so far in other fields we seem to be really missing something when it comes to human connection?

Isn't this a warning sign we cannot ignore? Don't we owe it to this baby and her mother to really look at our daily lives and try to look out for one another more often? This makes me so sad, that our society has become so isolated and self absorbed that we don't check on our neighbours enough. You may not like the people next door, but they matter to someone somewhere and they are a fellow human being. We all share the same essence at our core, surely this is enough to justify a quick check on another's well being.

Technology I believe is partly to blame, we create online "communities" and communicate on social networks and I think this discourages us from making connections face to face and reaching out in our every day lives. While it is certainly a very convenient way to connect I believe it is taking away from human touch, affection and love that can only be exchanged in a physical capacity. Technology as it currently stands does not have the ability to assess peoples health and well being, it cannot assess body language or a persons mood and it cannot possibly replicate the warm feeling we get from interacting in person.

As a mother I understand the importance of community more than ever. Much of a mothers life is spent in isolation caring for our babies. The network we build around us such as mothers groups, playgroups, extended family, (the list is endless) is crucial in staying sane. We help each other out by giving advice and support and helping other mummies feel like they're not alone when they are having a challenging day with their little ones. Reaching out and spending time with your network can make a difference between a good day and a bad day, and can change a dark mood into a mellow mood. What about everyone else though? I know I did not have a village like I do now before I was a Mum and as well as that my village lives spread all over the place so they aren't checking on my daily well being.      

So what's the solution? Stay connected. Check on your neighbours, what have you got to lose by just making sure someone else is ok especially if they are elderly or vulnerable. In fact I think we all have something to gain by making more pathways, how wonderful would a neighbour feel if you said a simple hello, how are you? You may even brighten their day or cultivate a sense of community that they have never felt before. Radiate love and kindness to others and you will also receive it back ten fold, this is a universal law, so really you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Sending you love joy and peace through the cyber waves ;-)

L xox 

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